They Found Us
by brittanafor3ver
Summary: An unexpected NYPD case ends in two young children being without a home or legal guardian. When Brittany volunteers to have them stay with her for a few nights- her and Santana get a little more than they bargained for. *Sequel to Broken*
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: this is the sequel to _Broken_ and takes place a few weeks after the Epilogue.**

**This fic could probably stand alone, but I'd recommend reading the first story before you start this one**

**enjoyyy**

...

**June 15th- 8am**

Brittany wrapped her white fluffy robe around herself and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail- smiling when she heard _loud_ singing coming from the kitchen. She checked her phone, which was resting on the bedside table, for any missed calls or texts; setting it back down when she saw the only ones were from Tina- which she could answer later.

Walking quietly into the kitchen, Brittany leaned against the doorframe and watched as Santana danced around the island and by the stove in one of her t-shirts, which was almost two sizes too big, and a pair of grey knee high socks.

_You're the king baby I'm you're Queen_

_Find out what you want, be that girl for a month_

_Wait the worst is yet to come, oh no_

_Screaming, crying, perfect storm_

_I can make all the tables turn_

_Rose gardens filled with thorns_

_Keep me second guessing like "Oh my god, who is she?"_

_I get drunk on jealousy_

_But you'll come back, each time you leave_

_'Cause darling I'm a nightmare, dressed like a daydream_

"Are you a hardcore Taylor Swift fan now, too?" Brittany giggled and watched as Santana halted her movements, before slowly turning in the blonde's direction while blushing.

"Hey baby," Santana smiled and momentarily stopped flipping pancakes to kiss the blonde. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yes, but I love your singing so it's ok." Brittany laughed, playfully poking the tip of Santana's nose. "Why are you up so early? Did you sleep ok?" She questioned with more seriousness and concern while meeting the Latina's dark eyes.

"I slept fine, I just woke up around six and couldn't go back to sleep." Santana shrugged. "I'm ok, no nightmares." She added, remembering the incident a few weeks ago.

"Ok." Brittany nodded slowly while running her hands up and down Santana's back; before slipping them under her shirt and repeating her actions. "I love you." She said softly while pressing a kiss to Santana's temple.

Santana glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "I love you too." She then leaned back into Brittany's embrace and worked on finishing up breakfast, offering the blonde small bits and pieces of sausage and egg when she would attempt to sneak them.

"Hey Britt?"

"Hmm?"

"You think we could go see Quinn today?" Santana questioned after several moments, while nervously playing with the handle of her spatula.

"Sure." Brittany shrugged and pressed a soft kiss to the back of Santana's neck.

Santana glanced over her shoulder with a raised brow and a small grin. "Really?" She asked sheepishly, and Brittany laughed.

"I'll drive us before lunch, that way we'll make it before visiting hours are over- as long as we're back before Finn's surprise party tonight." She nodded.

"Ok." Santana smiled and wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde's torso; pressing her cheek against Brittany's shoulder. "Thank you." She added in a soft whisper.

A few hours later, Santana was leaning back in the passenger seat with her hand resting on Brittany's atop the centre console, while the blonde kept her eyes focused on the road. Santana, who had remained silent during most of the ride, busied herself by toying with Brittany's fingers and tracing invisible patterns along her bare arm.

"You ok?" Brittany asked and briefly allowed her eyes to drift from the road to Santana.

"I'm ok." Santana smiled with a small nod. "You know how I get every time we visit... it just still doesn't seem real to me." She admitted softly. "I mean, who would've guessed that Quinn-fucking-Fabray, the model student back in high school, would end up in prison?"

"I know." Brittany nodded, rubbing her thumb over Santana's knuckles soothingly. "I wish you didn't have to deal with something like this, San. There are certain horrible things in the world that I wish I could protect you from."

"I love you," Santana stated as she brought Brittany's hand to her mouth and pressed a soft kiss to her bare skin. "So, so much."

Brittany smiled. "I love you too."

...

"_Santana_, you look great."

"You do too, Q." Santana smiled at her former best friend while unconsciously wringing her wrists under the metal table. "I'm sorry that it's been so long since I was last here, things have just been really hectic lately with Pezberry's."

"It's understandable." Quinn nodded. "Where's Brittany?"

"Oh, she's um," Santana glanced around the fairly large room, which was currently filled with various inmates and guards, before focusing back on Quinn's dull green eyes. "She's waiting in the car." She stated quietly.

Quinn slowly nodded and tapped her nails against the small sheet of paper resting under her hand.

"So..." Santana shifted slightly in the chair, "How have things been?"

"Well I haven't been raped or beaten up yet, so I guess that's a plus." Quinn deadpanned.

"Q..."

"Santana, I don't want your pity." Quinn sighed while shaking her head. "I see it in your eyes every time you come here. I made a mistake, and I'm paying for it- do I wish things turned out differently? Hell yes I do, but there's nothing you, nor I can do about it now." She snapped.

"Ok." Santana responded calmly. "I'm sorry."

Quinn closed her eyes briefly and released a small exhale. "I can tell that you're uncomfortable whenever you're here." She murmured. "You know I wish we could go out to a club, or restaurant, or even just hang out around someone's apartment whenever we wanted to hang out- and I'm sorry that we can't." She added softly as her eyes began to fill with unshed tears.

"Q, please don't cry." Santana choked out desperately while shaking her head. "If you start crying I'll cry, and everyone knows that Snixx doesn't cry."

"That's all Snixx does when she's drunk." Quinn countered with a light laugh.

"Ok, you caught me there." Santana sniffled and chuckled, right as one of the guards informed everyone that visiting hours would end in less than five minutes.

"Don't be shy, ok?" Quinn stated with soft eyes. "I know it's not your favorite place- and even though I hate to admit it, I really do enjoy your company." She rolled her eyes when Santana made a big show of placing her hands over her heart and awwing.

"I'll be back soon." Santana promised. "And next time, I'll possibly bring Rachel with me."

Quinn quirked a brow and smirked. "I'm holding you to that." She teased, and Santana playfully stuck out her tongue.

"I love you, Q. Be safe, please."

"I love you too, S." Quinn nodded. "I'll do my best."

...

**9pm**

"Babe, can you grab my red lipstick off of the dresser please?" Santana called from her vanity as she glanced at Brittany's reflection- who nodded.

"You look gorgeous, San." Brittany smiled while handing the Latina her the tube of lipstick, causing Santana to blush and shake her head.

"Thank you, baby. And you always look beautiful, but tonight you look fucking amazing." Santana winked. "Remind me to thank Kurt later for hooking us up with these designer dresses."

Brittany laughed and leaned down to connect their lips before Santana applied the lipstick. "I love you." She mumbled against plump lips, and Santana grinned.

"Love you more." She pressed their lips together once more, for a deeper kiss, before pulling away abruptly to finish getting ready. "Stop distracting me, Britt. Rachel will flip her shit on both of us if we're late." She chuckled. "She's been planning this party for months."

"Sorry." Brittany smiled sheepishly and moved back towards their bed. "Where did you put Finn's present?"

"It should be in the closet." Santana stated while smacking her lips together. "Somewhere between my clothes and yours. I had to make sure it was hidden for all the times Rachel came over here- you know how damn nosey she can be."

"Found it," Brittany stated a few minutes later as she walked out of their closet with a medium-sized black box in her hands. "You think he'll like it?" She asked with slight hesitation as she bit down on her bottom lip.

Santana scoffed. "Of course he will, Britt. He's a guy, and we got him fuckin' awesome seats to the Yankees game next week; not to mention the high-end headphones I ordered for whenever Berry won't shut the hell up." She laughed.

"San, you know you love her." Brittany chuckled while setting the box down at the edge of their bed.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Santana mumbled and playfully rolled her eyes.

Brittany smiled and offered Santana her hand as she stood up, who happily accepted it and grabbed the present off of the bed, before allowing the blonde to lead them through the penthouse and to the foyer.

"I called us a car while you were putting on your dress," Brittany stated while locking the doors. "It should be here by now, since that was almost thirty minutes ago."

Santana nodded. "Ok, cool."

The ride to the venue delayed them by almost twenty minutes- the amount of traffic in Manhattan being ridiculous that night. Santana had cursed out their driver multiple times in Spanish, before being fed up with the whole situation and pulling Brittany out of the SUV with her- claiming walking would take a less amount of time.

As soon as Santana and Brittany stepped inside the large room- which had been completely transformed into a color scheme of black and white- they were immediately greeted by an over-excited Rachel Berry.

"Santana! Brittany!" Rachel squealed with excitement as she threw her arms around both women. "I had high hopes that you would actually show up, despite the numerous amount of emails and texts I've sent that you've chosen to ignore."

"Shut it, Berry." Santana laughed, but returned the hug. "Of course I came, you know I love Frankenteen as much as the next guy."

"Santana," Brittany warned while raising a brow.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I won't tease Hamburgular Finn tonight, no matter how tempted I may be." Santana smiled sweetly, and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I need to get back to my boyfriend, but I'll catch up with you guys in a few." Rachel stated while wiggling her fingers as a goodbye. "Have a good time tonight, and don't even bother attempting to sneak out because I have Citrus guarding the door." She added and motioned towards the large man in an all-black suit, before scurrying away.

"Smart ass." Santana rolled her eyes, while Brittany laughed.

"Smart, definitely." She agreed- just as two arms went around her girlfriend's waist before she was descended into the air only moments later.

"Mike Chang!" Santana exclaimed, and laughed as the man easily lifted her before spinning her around. "Put me down!" She laughed.

"Get your hands off my woman, Chang." Brittany teased while wrapping her arm around Santana's slim waist. "Mine." She added, before leaning over to place a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"Possessive Britt is hot." Santana mumbled and instantly connected their lips, earning a groan from Tina.

"Can you two not have sex right now? I know that's asking a lot, but I'm sure Rachel will be less than pleased if she finds you two naked in a supply closet somewhere."

"Do they have supply closets here?" Santana whispered into Brittany's ear, who laughed and shrugged.

"We're not having sex here." Brittany smiled, and shook her head at Santana's pout. "We're _not_, Santana. And complaining about being horny all night won't change that, either."

"Fine." Santana grumbled while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hey, turn that frown upside down." Brittany winked and kissed Santana's pouty lips softly. "Dance with me?" She then asked sweetly.

Santana's scowl instantly dropped and she immediately accepted the blonde's outstretched hand with a bright smile. "Always."

Almost three hours later, a laughing Finn was helping a slightly tipsy Brittany lift a drunk-off-her-ass Santana into the awaiting car Rachel had called for them.

"Thanks for the help, Finn." Brittany smiled as Santana slouched into her side.

"No problem, Britt." Finn returned the smile and shrugged. "Thanks for the awesome gift, I'll be sure to use both of them very soon." He added with a quiet chuckle.

"Sorry about Santana cussing out your cousin- she can get a little, protective, when she's been drinking." Brittany grimaced as Finn laughed whole-heartedly.

"It's ok, really- Stacy found it funny anyways. Plus, we'll have something else to tease Santana with now." He winked.

"That is true." Brittany laughed. "Have a good night, Finn. Make sure you and Rachel are safe getting home tonight."

"We will." Finn nodded. "You have a good night too, Britt. Don't forget to set out the pills Santana will need for her killer hangover in the morning." He added with a smile.

"I won't." Brittany gave him a thumbs up, before closing the door and giving the driver their home address.

...

Brittany, given her current situation, was now well-aware of what the difference between hard and difficult was.

_Difficult_ was attempting to solve a re-opened case on the robbery of multiple businesses from 2010.

_Hard_ was getting a drunk and horny Santana to bed.

"Santana," Brittany laughed while carefully laying her girlfriend down on their bed. "You're drunk, baby. We are not having sex right now."

Santana halted her attempts to tug off Brittany's shirt, and her eyes began to fill with tears as her bottom lip trembled. "You're not attracted to me anymore, are you?" She sobbed, and Brittany's eyes widened. "You think I'm getting fat, don't you? I only did twenty sets of crunches instead of forty-two this morning, and you-"

"Santana, baby, no." Brittany cooed while pulling the Latina into her arms. "I'm never not going to be attracted to you- you're so, so sexy."

"Promise?" Santana asked quietly, and Brittany had to resist the urge to laugh at her cuteness.

Brittany nodded and leaned down to connect their lips. "I promise, baby."

"Ok." Santana smiled lazily and cuddled into Brittany's chest. "G'night Britt-Britt, I love you." She slurred.

"Goodnight Santana." Brittany laughed while pressing a soft kiss just below the Latina's hairline. "I love you too."

Brittany patiently waited for Santana's breathing to even out, before carefully untangling herself from her girlfriend and slipping out of bed to change out of her dress- which she was still wearing, and into something more comfortable. After throwing on a pair of shorts and a tank top, washing off her makeup and brushing her teeth; Brittany resumed her place in bed, leaving the bathroom light on as always, before snuggling up to Santana and pressing her lips to her bare shoulder.

"You're going to have such a bad headache in the morning." Brittany chuckled quietly while ghosting her fingers over Santana's sleeping features. "But I'll take care of you baby, like always." She smiles and leans forward to place a just barely kiss against Santana's parted lips- which instantly formed into a small, satisfied smile.

"I love you so much." Brittany whispered as she brushed some of the stray hairs out of Santana's face. "And I can't wait to propose to you." She glanced over her shoulder at her _Victoria's Secret_ gym bag lying by the window, where the ring was hidden securely in one of the pockets. "Soon." She added quietly and gently took Santana's left hand in her own, before softly pressing her lips to her ring finger.

...

**Two days later**

Santana was sitting on one of the couches out on the spacious balcony while sorting through multiple stacks of paperwork, when Brittany stuck her head through the sliding glass door and smiled.

"Wow, business-Santana is hott." Brittany teased as she stepped outside, wrapping her thin cardigan tightly around her body as she felt the summer breeze begin to blow.

Santana smirked and shook her head. "You're cute." She grinned while Brittany sat down on her lap and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"So, what are all these documents for?" Brittany asked as she leaned her head against Santana's shoulder.

"Just finances for the bakery, mainly. I'm just going through to make sure everything is in order and there's no funny business going on." Santana stated and leaned forward to peck Brittany's cheek. "Also, we're getting more and more orders for parties and business meetings and what not, so I'm working on hiring more employees to help with catering."

Brittany placed her fingertips under Santana's chin and gently moved her head to the side, so that she was able to look into her eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Santana."

Santana blushed and went to duck her head, but Brittany quickly caught her and shook her head. "Don't." She stated softly while holding eye contact. "You've worked so hard for almost a year on increasing the size of _Pezberry's_, and having it re-opened after the hell you went through. Also, it's a lot of fun to say 'that's my girlfriend' when someone mentions you or when the New York Times recognized your business." She winked.

Santana laughed. "Oh, so you're just using me for my success now, huh?"

"Obviously." Brittany teased while nuzzling her nose into Santana's neck.

Santana's paperwork was quickly forgotten when she felt hot, open mouthed kisses being placed along the crook of her neck- followed by a warm tongue smoothing down the soft bite marks. "Let's go inside." She quickly murmured and slid the papers off her lap.

"And do what?" Brittany smirked, before pulling herself off of the Latina's lap and slowly making her way towards the balcony's large French doors.

"I can think of a few things." Santana wiggled her brows suggestively, and Brittany laughed.

"Meet me in the shower in five minutes?" Brittany questioned with one hand resting on the door, and the other moving to her stomach- just barely moving her shirt up enough for Santana to catch a sliver of pale abs.

"Oh _hell yeah_," Santana gathered her papers quickly and tucked them under her arms. "I'll be there in two."

...

Brittany tiredly entered the police station at four that morning- after receiving an urgent call from Beiste to get down there as soon as she physically could. She ran her fingers through her wavy blonde hair, which fell down her back, and adjusted her long-sleeved thermal as she approached Beiste's office; which was on the main floor.

"Pierce," Beiste sighed with relief and pushed her chair back. "Thank god, I didn't know who else to call."

"Call about what?" Brittany frowned as she glanced around the slightly messy office. "What's going on? It's almost five am."

Beiste didn't say anything and instead motioned for Brittany to follow her; which she reluctantly did. The larger woman led the blonde through the almost vacant building, until they reached one of the narrow hallways.

Brittany paused at the sight of two small children sitting on the wooden bench, no older than six or seven, and looked to the woman next to her. "What-"

"Their dad was arrested about an hour ago." Beiste stated blatantly, her eyes never leaving the two. "Multiple piles of child pornography hidden around his apartment, two murder charges, and battery charges against six women."

"What?" Brittany's eyes widened in horror and she glanced back to the two kids. "Are they hurt? Or have they been harmed?"

Beiste sighed and shook her head sadly. "We couldn't get them to talk. Jones tried, Zizes tried, hell even Abrams attempted. They wouldn't say nothin'."

Brittany smoothed her messy hair back with the palm of her left hand and sighed. "So you called me because you're hoping I'll be able to get them to talk?" She questioned knowingly.

"You're my final option." Beiste shrugged. "I have a good feeling about you, Pierce. If anyone can get these kids to talk, it'll be you."

"I'll see what I can do." Brittany nodded. She then turned on the heels of her grey _UGGs_ and slowly began to descend down the narrow hallway.

Brittany crouched down in front of the two children, and was momentarily in awe by their appearance. Both had caramel skin, similar to Santana's, but bright blue eyes much like her own, and blonde hair. The girl, most likely five or six, had long curly hair- while her brother had a much shorter haircut without the curls.

"Hey guys, I'm Brittany." Brittany smiled and looked between the two, who's faces remained blank and emotionless. "Can you do me a huge favor and tell me your names? Please?"

"Papi said we aren't 'sposed to talk to strangers." The little boy mumbled after several moments while keeping his head hung downwards.

"Well your papi's right." Brittany nodded, and the boy looked at her skeptically. "I know we haven't known each other very long, but I promise that you can trust me. I won't hurt you in any way, I just want to know your names." She stated gently with a soft smile.

"I'm Amiyah." The little girl said finally, and lifted her head to meet Brittany's warm eyes. "I'm five."

"Whoa, what a pretty name." Brittany winked, before turning towards the boy expectantly.

"Anthony." He mumbled. "I'm seven."

Brittany smiled. "Did you know that I work with a police officer named Anthony? He's one of the best we have." She told him.

Anthony's blue eyes widened and he shook his head. "Does he have one of those cool badges? Like in the movies?" He asked with awe.

"He most certainly does." Brittany responded with enthusiasm and a small grin. "Maybe I can pull a few strings and have you meet him, sometime."

"Whoa." Anthony smiled.

Brittany glanced over her shoulder at her boss, who was watching from a respectable distance with curiosity, before turning back to the two. "I need to talk to another officer for a few minutes, can you two stay here while I'm doing that?" She questioned and looked them both in the eyes.

"Don't leave." Amiyah said softly while latching onto Brittany's sleeve, and the blonde felt her heart shatter.

"I just need to talk to my boss for a moment, ok sweetheart?" Brittany ran her fingers through the girl's messy curls, attempting to smooth them back. "I promise I'll be right back." She used the pad of her thumb to wipe the smaller blonde's tears away.

"Yeah, that's what momma said." Anthony grumbled and Amiyah's face fell.

"Where is your mother?" Brittany frowned, which deepened when Anthony shrugged and mumbled a quiet _she left_.

"Ok." Brittany sighed and stood up straight. "I'll be back." She promised, before making her way back to Beiste- who was watching from the end of the hallway.

"You're good with them." Beiste noted, and Brittany smiled.

"I like kids." She then sighed. "What's going to happen to them? Any relatives that could take them in?"

Beiste slowly shook her head. "We've been searching ever since they were brought in." Brittany's face fell. "We'll have to call child services and have them deal with it. There's nothing more we can do."

"That never ends well." Brittany stated quietly.

"I know." Beiste gently scratched the back of her neck. "It's an unfortunate situation. But like I said; there's nothing more we can do, Pierce."

"They can stay with me." Brittany blurted, and Beiste's brows shot up in surprise. "I mean- yeah. They can come stay with Santana and I for the night. Or for a few days, I don't know, however long it takes for child services to get their shit figured out. I don't want them put in a foster home tonight. They're too young." She shook her head.

"You sure about that?" Beiste questioned hesitantly. "Two kids are a lot of work, Pierce. They require a lot of attention. I know you're a good person with a great heart, but do you think you can handle that?" She raised a brow. "And what about Santana? Didn't you tell me just last week that she was hesitant on having kids?"

"It's only for a few days." Brittany countered. "Santana's hesitant because she's convinced that she'll be a bad mother, even though I know that that's not true at all." She shook her head. "I don't think either one of us are ready to have kids anytime soon, mainly because I want to marry her first. But this could be an opportunity to help her with her doubt."

Beiste eyed the blonde carefully for a few moments, before slowly nodding. "Ok. Even if it's only for a few nights, I'll still need you to sign and fill out a few legal documents for legal purposes."

"_Ok_." Brittany briefly shut her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair- releasing a small sigh before nodding. "Let me call Santana."


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: I finished this at 2am so sorry for any typos...**

...

"_**Brittany, this is insane**_!"

"San-"

"_**How are we supposed to take care of two kids? We can barely take care of the cat we**_ _**now!**_" Santana screeched. "_**Where **__is__** Lord**_ _**T, anyway?**_"

"He's probably hiding under the couch somewhere." Brittany shrugged and flicked a small piece of lint off of her sleeve.

"**_Exactly!" _**Santana exclaimed**_. "I haven't seen that cat in three days, and you think we're capable of handling the well being of two children? Does this honestly sound like a good idea to you?" _**

**_"_**Santana, honey, just listen to me for a minute, ok?" Brittany waited until Santana gave a small grunt in acknowledgment, before continuing. "We are perfectly capable on taking care of two kids for a few days. You may disagree, yes, but I know what our strengths and weaknesses are. You babysat Rachel's three year old cousin for the day once, and I know you enjoyed it."

Santana scoffed. "**_I didn't enjoy it, I was just relieved that it wasn't as horrible as I had imagined it to be. Plus the little rascal knew nothing about Broadway or Barbra Streisand, which I will forever be grateful for._**"

"Ok." Brittany sighed. "They need somewhere to go, baby. A huge part of my job is making sure that people get taken care of when they need it. We have a big apartment with plenty of space, which would be a much more ideal situation then having a five and seven year old spending the night down at child services. _Just_ for a few nights."

Brittany nervously chewed on her bottom lip and tapped her nails against the back of her phone as she waited for Santana's response.

"_**Fine**_." Santana sighed. "_**Let me straighten up a little before you get here, and I'll get the guest bedroom fixed up. Are we putting them in the same room or separate ones, since we have two extra bedrooms?"**_

**_"_**I think they would be more comfortable if they shared," Brittany smiled as she released the breath she had been holding. "Thank you, San. You have no idea how much we're helping out these kids."

"_**Anything for you, B.**_" Santana stated softly, and Brittany could practically hear the smile in her voice. "_**I need to go so I can get everything in order by the time you get home. Do you want me to go ahead and make breakfast?**_"

Brittany shook her head. "No baby, it's too early for that and I can hear the exhaustion in your voice. If they're hungry I'll make them something." She momentarily removed her phone from in between her shoulder and ear to check the time, "I should be home no later than eight, but you don't need to wait up. I know you were planning on interviewing for more positions at the bakery this afternoon, and I don't want you to be tired all day."

"_**Ok**_." Santana yawned. "_**Get home safely, I**_ _**love you**_."

"I love you too, and I will. Get some sleep." Brittany smiled. After saying their goodbyes, the blonde made her way back towards Shannon Beiste, who had been patiently waiting for her in the hallway.

"Where's the paperwork?" Brittany questioned, and Beiste's brows shot up in surprise.

"Santana was ok with it?" She asked and didn't even bother hiding her surprise. "Really? Wow, I did not see that one coming. I'm more surprised than squirrel who receives an omelet for breakfast instead of his nuts."

Brittany furrowed her brows, but accepted the small stack of papers from the woman and tucked them under her arm. "I'm going to go fill these out in my office, can you keep an eye on the kids?"

"Of course." Beiste nodded. "Take your time, there's no rush."

"Ok, thanks." Brittany smiled and gave one glance down the hallway, before heading upstairs to her office.

Half an hour later, Brittany was passing along the paperwork over to Beiste as she looked over it, before giving her the _ok_ to take Amiyah and Anthony home. She had a short conversation with Beiste about her schedule and the necessities and importance of what she was doing- before leading both children out of the building and out to the car.

"We're going to your house?" Amiyah asked with wide eyes as she hopped into the backseat, scooting towards the opposite side.

Brittany smiled. "My _apartment_, yes. But we have to be very quiet because my girlfriend will be sleeping and I don't want to wake her."

"You have a girlfriend?" Anthony questioned as he climbed into the backseat of the car.

"Yes." Brittany nodded. "Her name is Santana and she owns a bakery not too far from here."

"Can she make cookies?" Amiyah smiled as Brittany leaned over to double check her seatbelt.

"She most certainly can." Brittany chuckled and repeated her actions with Anthony, before closing the door and climbing into the driver's seat. "And I bet if you're nice, I'll be able to convince her to make a few for you guys later." She added with a wink.

"Whoa." Amiyah smiled brightly as her eyes lit up.

Brittany chuckled and turned up the volume to the radio a few notches as she pulled out of her parking space- and resisted the urge to dance and sing along to one of the annoying pop songs happened to be playing.

...

Once they stepped out of the elevator almost twenty minutes later, Brittany struggled to find her keys with the hand that had been holding onto Anthony's, while carrying Amiyah with her opposite one. Letting out a small sigh of relief when she did find them, she quickly unlocked the right sided door and ushered the smaller boy inside.

"This place is so big." Amiyah stated as Brittany set her back on the floor, and turned around to shut the door. "You live here?"

"Mhmm," Brittany smiled, offering both children her hands as she led them through the penthouse.

"Just you and Samantha?" Anthony questioned.

"_Santana_, and yes." Brittany gently corrected. "We have a cat named Lord Tubbington, but he's probably hiding under the couch somewhere."

"I love cats. We used to have one." Amiyah grinned while Brittany led them down the hallway opposite of the kitchen.

"Yeah, but it ran away." Anthony frowned. "That's what Papi said, but I really think it just died." He whispered to Brittany.

"Well if Lord Tubbington happens to come out of hiding, I'm sure he'd love to play with you." Brittany smiled as she carefully pushed open the door to the guest bedroom. She laughed quietly at the sight of Santana's sleeping form draped across one of the twin sized beds, and released her hold on Anthony and Amiyah's hands as she made her way towards her.

"Santana, baby, wake up." She whispered while brushing the stray hairs out of the Latina's face; who let out a small exhale before opening her tired eyes.

"Hey Britt," Santana mumbled as she took in her surroundings. "Shit, sorry, I must have fallen asleep while I was changing the linen on the beds."

"Don't apologize, it's ok." Brittany kissed her forehead, before motioning towards the door. "Our guests are here." She added with a smile. Santana sat up straight and turned her attention towards the doorway where both kids were standing.

"Holy shit Britt," Santana whispered as a small smile graced her lips. "They're adorable."

"I know right. They could totally pass for our kids if we decided to have lady babies." Brittany laughed and ushered Anthony and Amiyah forward, who were still somewhat hesitant. "This is Anthony, he's seven. And this is Amiyah, who's five." She informed the Latina, who offered both children a wave.

"You're pretty." Amiyah stated while staring up at Santana with her big blue eyes. "You kind of look like my mommy." She added in a quieter tone.

"You are very pretty yourself, sweetheart." Santana smiled softly. "Thank you."

"I need to get them to bed San, they've been at the station all night." Brittany murmured to the Latina once she noticed Anthony's eyes begin to droop.

Santana nodded and pushed herself off of the bed. "Do you want me to help you?"

"You don't have to." Brittany shook her head. "You need to get some sleep yourself, I can see how tired you are in your eyes."

"Let me help you Britt." Santana glanced at Amiyah, who was still staring at her with half-lidded eyes.

Brittany sighed but reluctantly nodded, too tired to protest. "I'll get Anthony, and you get Amiyah?" She questioned- and Santana nodded.

"Which bed do you want to sleep on, honey?" Brittany crouched down in front of Anthony, who slowly looked around the fairly large room, before pointing to the one of the left. "Ok." She nodded and took his hand.

"Come here," Santana smiled and ushered the little blonde forward, who immediately latched onto the Latina once she lifted her in her arms. "You are so tired, sweetheart." She sighed as she looked into her eyes, which were glossy and red. "When was the last time they slept Britt?"

"I don't know." Brittany responded sadly as Amiyah buried her head in the crook of Santana's neck. "But they're exhausted." She whispered while helping Anthony get adjusted in his bed. Santana pulled the blankets back and gently laid Amiyah down, who had already fallen asleep. She slipped the blonde's shoes off, careful not to wake her, before covering her with the threaded comforter.

"Come on." Brittany whispered and pressed her lips to Santana's cheek once they were sure both kids were asleep, and led her out of the room, making sure to leave the door cracked.

Once they made it across the apartment and back to their bedroom, Brittany informed Santana that she was going to take a quick shower before slipping into their master bathroom, while Santana climbed back into bed, sighing at the time on the clock.

"It's seven already? Damn, I'm going to be a fucking mess later." She sighed and snuggled deeper into the bed as she waited for Brittany.

Thirty minutes later, Brittany emerged from the bathroom in a pair of sweatpants and a simple white tank top; not bothering to leave on the bathroom light since the sun had already began to rise. She crossed the bedroom and closed the curtains to block out the bright rays as best as she could, knowing Santana had a hard time sleeping during the daytime, before climbing into bed.

Santana, who was sleeping with her back facing Brittany, instantly turned at the feeling of her girlfriend's body only a few inches away and shuffled forward until she was cuddled into the blonde's chest. Brittany wrapped one arm securely around Santana's waist while the other found claim in her hair, as she gently ran her fingers through the Latina's dark locks to soothe her.

"Go back to sleep, baby." Brittany cooed when Santana stirred. "I'm right here." She added when Santana's face twisted, and peppered soft kisses over her girlfriend's soft skin until her breathing had returned to normal.

...

**9am**

Brittany stirred awake a couple hours later and glanced at her phone, sighing when she read the time. She carefully removed herself from under Santana and threw on a sweatshirt, before heading across the apartment and down the hall to the guest room.

"Brittany!" Amiyah exclaimed and smiled brightly at the sight of the blonde, who returned the smile with just as much enthusiasm.

"Hey kiddo," Brittany chuckled while walking further into the room. "Shh, your brother is still asleep." She added and pressed her index finger to her lips.

Amiyah mimicked her actions while nodding slowly. "Sorry." She whispered. "Can we make breakfast?"

"You're hungry?" Brittany smiled as she helped the smaller blonde climb off of the bed- then checked on Anthony to make sure he was still asleep before leaving the room with Amiyah.

"Yes, very." Amiyah nodded quickly. "Can we make bacon?"

"If we have some." Brittany nodded as they walked into the kitchen, and pulled out one of the bar stools for the younger blonde before carefully setting her on it.

"Is Santana eating with us?" Amiyah questioned while leaning forward on her elbows and watching Brittany swiftly move around the kitchen.

"I don't know, sweetheart." Brittany responded while pulling out a plastic bowl from the cupboard. "She didn't get much sleep last night and she has to work later. She'll probably sleep in."

Amiyah nodded. "Anthony likes to sleep in too."

"Does he?" Brittany glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "I guess he's more of a mini-Santana, then."

"And I'm more like you 'cause we both like to get up early and we both like bacon. And we both have blonde hair!" Amiyah rambled happily.

"You are too cute."

Brittany and Amiyah's attention turned towards the open doorway of the kitchen, where Santana had been leaning against the doorframe with a soft smile and tired eyes.

"Why are you awake, San?" Brittany frowned as the Latina walked fully into the kitchen. "You barely got two hours of sleep."

"Yeah, well, you had even less and you seem fine." Santana pointed out with a shrug. "I'll be ok."

"San..." Brittany sighed and shook her head. "Please don't tire yourself out, baby, _please_. Not again." She added lowly.

"I won't, Britt." Santana promised, before briefly pressing her lips to the blonde's cheek. "I'm going to run downtown real quick and buy a few clothes for them. I didn't see any in the guest room."

"You don't have to do that." Brittany smiled.

"I want to." Santana winked while resting her chin against Brittany's shoulder, who kissed her temple softly.

"You never fail to remind me what a giant, generous heart you have." Santana blushed. "I love you so much for that."

"I love you too." Santana pulled away and attempted to smooth her hair back with her fingers. "I'm going to go change then get going, hopefully I'll make it before it gets too busy so I won't be gone for long."

"What about your meetings?" Brittany asked while glancing to Amiyah, who had busied herself by playing with the sugar packets on the island.

"I rescheduled them." Santana informed her as she grabbed an orange from the refrigerator.

"Santana-"

"I wanted to, Britt." Santana said quickly, knowing what was coming. "I can help you with the kids for the majority of the day, and then I can catch up on a few hours of sleep when they aren't as energetic. I'll go ahead and pick up groceries while I'm out, since we don't have much."

Brittany sighed. "Ok." She reluctantly agreed. "How are you getting there?"

"Oh, I- um, I'll probably just take a cab." Santana shrugged.

"Baby, I know you hate cabs." Brittany stated with a frown as she set two strands of bacon and a small portion of eggs on one of the plates. "I'll call Rachel and have her pick you up. You know she looks for every opportunity she can get to shop and spend time with you." She laughed.

"I can take a cab, B. It's not that big of a deal." Santana lightly protested, only to have the blonde shake her head and pick up her phone.

"Cabs aren't exactly the safest, and I want you as safe as possible." Brittany murmured while setting the plate in front of Amiyah.

"Thanks Brittany." Amiyah smiled, before eating a forkful of eggs.

"You're welcome, honey." Brittany winked and tucked the phone in between her shoulder and ear as it rang. Santana smiled at Amiyah but listened carefully to Brittany's brief conversation with Rachel on the opposite line, before she hung up and returned her phone back to it's place on the counter next to the Keurig.

"Rachel will be here in twenty minutes," Brittany stated as she proceeded to fix her own plate. "Do you want something to eat before you go?"

Santana shook her head. "I'll just grab a scone and coffee from Starbucks."

"Ok." Brittany gently tugged Santana forward and dropped a chaste kiss on her lips. "I know you'll be with Rachel, but be sure to call me if you need anything." She stated firmly.

Santana pressed her lips to the corner of the blonde's mouth and smiled, before nodding slowly. "I will."

...

**5pm**

Santana abruptly jolted awake from the mid-day nap everyone had decided to take after lunch, by the sound of loud cries coming from across the penthouse. She glanced to Brittany, who was still sound asleep, and softly kissed her forehead before slipping out of bed. She quickly made her way to the guest bedroom, where she knew the cries were coming from and walked into the room- her heart dropping at the sight of Anthony attempting to calm his sister down.

"Santana," He looked at the Latina desperately, before glancing down to his sister. "I'm sorry, I tried to wake up her up but she won't." He rambled as tears slid down his face.

"It's ok honey, let me try ok?" Santana used the pad of her thumb to wipe Anthony's tears away as he climbed off of the bed, before leaning down to push Amiyah's hair away from her forehead, which had become damp with perspiration. "Wake up honey, you're having a bad dream." She whispered, and jumped when the little blonde began flailing her arms.

"Fuck," Santana hissed as she took one of the blows while attempting to hold her arms down. "Wake up, Amiyah." She repeated a little louder- sighing with relief when her dull blue eyes popped open and darted around the unfamiliar room.

"Shhh, it's ok." Santana cooed and pulled the little girl into her arms as she slowly rocked them back and forth. "You're ok, sweetheart. I've got you." She murmured while Amiyah cried into her shoulder.

"Santana?"

Santana turned her head towards the doorway, where Brittany was staring at her with weary eyes.

"I'm ok." Santana nodded and motioned Brittany forward. "I'm ok, baby." She repeated while tilting her head upwards to connect their lips in a chaste kiss.

"Your chest is bruising." Brittany stated as she leaned forward to examine the dark bruise that was beginning to form along the Latina's collarbone. "Does this hurt?" She questioned before softly applying pressure to it.

Santana jumped and cringed while nodding slowly. "It hurts." She managed to get out through her clenched jaw.

"Ok, I'm going to get you ice for it." Brittany frowned while using the pad of her thumb to stroke Santana's cheek as she pressed her lips to her forehead. "Let me see her," She extended her arms to Santana, who reluctantly handed Amiyah over to Brittany- who had almost instantly fallen back asleep.

"Has this happened before?" Santana questioned while looking over to Anthony, who dropped his head and nodded slowly.

"It happens a lot." He said quietly as Santana made her way across the room to sit next to him on the bed. "But thank you for not getting mad, because it makes Papi mad and he-" the smaller blonde paused and averted his eyes to the floor.

"He _what_, honey?" Brittany asked calmly while moving to sit down on the corner of the bed.

Anthony shrugged, but continued to stay quiet.

"Britt..." Santana whispered as Brittany sighed and gently laid Amiyah back on her bed, quickly tucking her in before walking back over to Anthony.

"We'll talk more after you get up, ok? Lay back down, I can tell you are still tired." Brittany pulled the large comforter back and ushered the small boy underneath. "If there's something you need to tell us, or you want Santana and I to know, then I want you to tell us sweetheart. You can trust us." She stated in a hushed tone.

"Ok." Anthony nodded as he wiggled to get comfortable.

"Get some rest, honey." Brittany told him with a smile while sliding off the edge of the bed.

"I will." Anthony responded and returned the wave Santana offered him, before turning on his side, almost immediately falling asleep.

Brittany silently led Santana to the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, wrapping one arm loosely around the Latina's waist before gently applying pressure to the bruised area. Her heart dropped when Santana winced and rested her head against the blonde's shoulder- releasing a shaky exhale.

Brittany rested her forehead against Santana's and sighed. "What did we get ourselves into?"

...

**tumblr: brittanafor3verr**


	3. Chapter 3

Brittany stared blankly up at the ceiling, a small sense of relief running through her body each time she felt a warm puff of air against the side of her neck. She tightened her arms around the smaller woman who way laying contently on her chest, and pressed a soft kiss to her temple when she began to stir.

"Go back to sleep," Brittany whispered softly into Santana's hair. "You've only been asleep for thirty minutes baby, you need sleep."

Santana mumbled a few words incoherently in Spanish, before hiding her face in the crook of the blonde's neck and easily drifting back to sleep only a few moments later.

"I love you too." Brittany chuckled quietly as she began to run her fingers through Santana's dark hair- by which her attention was quickly averted when she heard three soft knocks against their bedroom door. "Come in." She called out, careful not to wake the sleeping Latina.

A moment later, Anthony poked his head inside the bedroom and Brittany instantly smiled. "Hey Brittany, Amiyah's awake. You told me to tell you when she woke up so you could talk to her." He rambled, as if she forgot.

"Ok, honey." Brittany nodded. "I'll be there in a minute, ok?"

"Ok." Anthony shrugged. He then glanced at Santana's sleeping form, before quickly slipping out of the bedroom.

Brittany pressed a soft kiss against Santana's forehead and ghosted her fingers over the light bruise forming on her chest, before carefully moving from underneath her and leaving their room. She then made her way across the penthouse to the guest room, and smiled at both children who were patiently waiting for her on their respective beds.

"Hey Brittany." Amiyah smiled and waved at the blonde happily.

"Hi sweetheart," Brittany returned the smile. "How did you sleep?" She then asked carefully, not wanting to set off any triggers.

"Fine." Amiyah shrugged. "Why?"

Brittany raised a brow and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Do you, um, remember anything happening earlier?"

"Like while I was asleep?" Amiyah questioned with a frown. Brittany nodded, and the little blonde shook her head in confusion. "No."

"You don't remember?" Brittany frowned.

Amiyah shook her head, the look of confusion still present. "I don't understand...did something happen?"

"You had a nightmare again." Anthony mumbled from across the room. "You know, the ones Papi would always wake you from?"

"Oh," Amiyah's face quickly flushed and she took a few steps back from Brittany, causing the blonde's frown to deepen. "I'm sorry, really sorry, please don't send us back to him. I won't do it again, promise."

Brittany's eyes softened when she noticed the tears forming in the little blonde's eyes, and quickly crouched down. "Come here, honey." She whispered while opening her arms.

Amiyah nodded, but looked hesitant as she approached Brittany.

"It's ok." Brittany assured after Amiyah wrapped her arms around her neck. "It's ok sweetheart, Santana and I aren't sending you back to him." She murmured into wild blonde curls.

"Please don't." Amiyah cried into Brittany's neck.

"Brittany?"

Brittany glanced in the direction of the voice, where Santana was standing in the doorway. "Hey San, everything's fine baby." She stated quickly, noticing the look on the Latina's face.

"Ok." Santana raised a brow, but didn't push it. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Um, you could whip up one of your awesome ice cream sundaes for the kiddos." Brittany suggested, and Amiyah perked at the idea.

"A sundae?" She asked quietly with wide eyes.

Brittany laughed and nodded. "What do you think, Santana?"

Three heads turned in the Latina's direction, and Santana rolled her eyes at their pouts. "Obviously I can't say no to all of you." She murmured.

"Score!" Brittany held her right hand up, earning high-fives and giggles from both child. "You two head to the kitchen, Santana and I will be there in a sec." She smiled.

"'Kay." Amiyah smiled and grabbed onto Anthony's hand, pulling him out of the guest room and down the hall until they were out of sight.

"I'm making her an appointment with a child psychologist I know." Brittany stated quietly after several moments.

Santana raised a brow. "Is that a good idea, Britt?"

"Clearly there's something wrong Santana, and no one else is going to try and figure it out." Brittany sighed while rubbing her temples harshly. "There isn't a record of anything abnormal, because I checked their files before I agreed to take them in. But there's definitely something wrong that _wasn't_ documented."

"I know."

"We have to help them." Brittany whispered and looked up into Santana's dark eyes, which were focused solely on her own.

"We'll do what we can, Brittany." Santana shook her head and leaned down to kiss the blonde's forehead, before walking out of the room.

...

**7pm**

"Onom..." Amiyah furrowed her brows in frustration as she continued to try and sound out the word printed on the large flash card in front of her. "On-o-mat-o..."

"You're doing so good, sweetheart. Don't get frustrated with yourself." Santana smiled while crouching down next to her. "The ending is _poeia_, which sounds like _pia_, but is actually spelt like _pOeia_. The o is silent." She explained.

"Oh." Amiyah nodded and examined the word a final time, before saying, "Onomatopoeia," almost perfectly.

Santana laughed and high-fived the smaller blonde, who in return smiled brightly. "Good job, Amiyah. You're such a smart little girl," She praised her.

Amiyah blushed. "Thanks." She murmured shyly.

"Hey baby," Brittany smiled as she walked into the living room, "I'm gonna head to the store down the street to grab a few things for dinner and I'm taking Anthony will me. Will you be ok with Amiyah for a little bit?" She questioned after placing a chaste kiss against Santana's lips.

"That's fine," Santana nodded. "Can you get a couple more jars of peanut butter, we're almost out and you know how I like to binge eat it." She laughed as Amiyah climbed into her lap and leaned back against her chest.

Brittany smiled. "Will do. Anything else?"

"Umm, we still have an extra gallon of milk right?"

"I think so," Brittany nodded. "Do you want me to double check before I leave?"

"Please."

"Ok." Brittany leaned down to connect their lips once more, before tilting the opposite direction to place a kiss against Amiyah's forehead. "I'll be back soon. I love you."

"I love you too." Santana winked. "Be safe, please." She gently grabbed Anthony's arm as he walked by and pulled him back. "You'll fight off any bad guys if they try to hurt Britt, right?" She whispered.

Anthony quickly nodded. "Of course, I can protect her. Check out my muscles." He flexed his arm and pointed to his bicep excitedly.

"Whoa, yeah, you could totally knock someone out with those." Santana agreed with just as much enthusiasm.

"Santana," Brittany chuckled while rolling her eyes. "C'mon Anthony, I want to be back before it's dark."

"Ok." Anthony waved bye to Santana and gave a quick hug to his sister, before following Brittany out of the living room and through the foyer.

Santana watched Amiyah carefully for the following moments after Brittany and Anthony left, almost amused by how focused the little girl was as she toyed with a loose strand on her top. She then blinked slowly and glanced up at Santana, who quirked a brow when she smiled.

"Can you teach me more big words?" Amiyah asked sweetly while leaning forward to grab the box of index cards Brittany had given her earlier. "It's important to know a lot of words, that's what my Papi used to say."

"Sure." Santana nodded and shuffled through the cards. "Let's start with this one, it shouldn't be to difficult." She stated, holding up a white card with _Hypothesis_ written on it in black ink.

...

"Now that was a lot easier than I thought it'd be." Brittany stated while glancing through the rearview mirror at Anthony, who was happily snacking away on the small box of goldfish she had bought him. The store was a lot less crowded than she expected it to be, making the trip short and simple. The only problem now was traffic, which seemed to be held up by a wreck on one of the street corners near her and Santana's building.

"Do you think your sister will like the Cheetos, bud?"

Anthony nodded quickly and swallowed the food he had in his mouth. "It's her favorite snack, she could eat 'em all day." He assured the older blonde.

"Me too." Brittany laughed and refocused her attention back on the road. "If we ever make it home." She added under her breath while impatiently tapping the wheel.

"We could play a game to make time go by quicker?" Anthony suggested, noticing the irritation on Brittany's face. "I know some pretty good road games I've learned to master of the years." He wiggled his brows.

Brittany raised a brow. "Oh really?"

"Mhmm, like iSpy! Can we play that Brittany?"

"If you want." Brittany nodded and leaned back in her seat, deciding she might as well get comfortable because they would be there for awhile.

Almost thirty minutes and seven games of iSpy later, Anthony and Brittany were walking through the front door of the penthouse with arms full of groceries. Brittany called Amiyah into the foyer and asked if she wanted to help, knowing the little girl most likely would, and handed her the lightest bags she had before telling the two to take them to the kitchen.

"I'll be back in a minute." Brittany told them while setting her own bags on the countertop. "I'm going to go check on Santana."

"She's sleeping." Amiyah stated, before smiling when Anthony offered her a goldfish.

Brittany frowned and checked the time on her watch. "She is? Are you sure?"

Amiyah nodded. "She fell asleep on the couch when we were watching a show I've never seen before on Disney channel." She shrugged. "It must've been boring to her."

"Oh, ok." Brittany nodded slowly and began making her way towards the kitchen door. "I'll start dinner in a few minutes, you two just hang tight." After receiving a nod from both child, Brittany pulled her long blonde hair into a loose ponytail as she walked into the living room, and instantly smiled at the sight of a sleeping Santana. It wasn't until she got closer, though, that she realized the Latina was groaning softly with furrowed brows- as she held a fistful of her tank top tightly.

"Santana, wake up." She whispered and used her thumb to wipe away the small amount of perspiration forming on the Latina's brow.

"Santana." Brittany raised her voice while giving the Latina's shoulder a firm shake. "Santana, wake up baby."

Santana stirred and let out a quiet whimper, before her body jerked and her eyes snapped open, immediately darting around the room. "W-wh-"

"Shh, calm down." Brittany whispered while taking a seat on the edge of the couch. "Catch your breath before you try to talk, San." Santana nodded and handled getting her breathing under control while Brittany ran her fingers through her hair, which took a little longer than usual since it had been so long since she's had a nightmare.

"How bad was it?" Brittany asked softly when Santana seemed to have calmed down.

Santana shook her head. "I'm ok." She assured with a weak smile.

Brittany frowned. "That isn't what I asked."

"I'll get started on dinner." Santana stated quickly and hopped off of the couch, moving before Brittany could say anything else.

Brittany sighed and shook her head, deciding to wait until later to discuss the Latina's behavior and collected the few scattered index cards off of the table- placing them securely back into the box and following Santana to the kitchen.

...

**11pm**

After getting out of her thirty-five minute shower, Santana loosely wrapped one of the white fluffy towels around her body and quietly made her way towards her and Brittany's walk in closet. She then threw on a plain white tank top and a pair of Brittany's shorts, before tossing her towel in the hamper and turning off the light.

"Santana."

Brittany's voice caused the Latina to jump, since she was almost positive the blonde had fallen asleep almost an hour ago.

"Yeah?" Santana sighed while adjusting the waistband on the shorts.

Brittany sat up and leaned back against the headboard while opening her arms. "Come here."

"I-"

"Santana, baby, come here please." Brittany commanded gently and motioned the Latina forward, who reluctantly obliged.

Santana pulled her hair out of the messy bun it had previously been in and ran her fingers through her hair, before climbing onto the bed and laying down on her side- with her face only a few inches from Brittany's.

"I'm fine." Santana said quickly.

Brittany frowned. "You've been jittery all afternoon, what's going on?" She rested her hand on Santana's waist, in which the Latina immediately tensed, and quickly removed it. "San?"

"I'm fine, Brittany." Santana repeated while turning with her back facing the blonde. "I'm just tired, let's get some sleep ok?"

"I can't help you if you lie to me, Santana." Santana exhaled slowly and buried her head into her pillow, choosing to stay silent rather than respond, knowing Brittany was right.

Brittany sighed. "Goodnight, I love you." She stated as if she would any other night, but instead of cuddling against Santana she turned on her side, facing away from the Latina.

Santana waited several moments, until she heard the change in Brittany's breathing before mumbling a shaky, "I love you too."


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: happy reading :-)**

**...**

**3am**

"Something's going on with you, baby." Brittany sighed while ghosting her fingers over Santana's features, which were far from relaxed. "Something's going on with you, and I need you tell me instead of closing yourself off." She whispered. After staring at Santana and listening to her breathing for a few more minutes, Brittany carefully climbed out of bed and grabbed her phone before leaving the bedroom. She walked across the penthouse to check on Anthony and Amiyah, who were sound asleep, before going back into the living room and dialing Rachel's number.

_**Hello? **_A tired response came after five rings, and Brittany felt slightly guilty for waking the brunette up this early.

_Hey, Rachel? It's Brittany. _

_**Yeah Britt I know, I have caller ID.**_

_Right. _Brittany chuckled quietly and flicked a small piece of lint off of her pants.

_**Is everything ok? It's three in the morning and as you know I need all the beauty rest I am able to-**_

_Something's wrong with Santana. _Brittany blurted. _I think her nightmares are back. _

_**What?**_ She could hear the frown in Rachel's voice. _**Um, what makes you think that? **_

_She had one a few weeks ago, and then last night, but refuses to talk about it. I don't know what to do..._

A pause. _**Is she still seeing her therapist?**_

No. Brittany shook her head, before remembering Rachel couldn't see her. _She stopped a few months ago. We had a discussion about it, and she said that she felt like she didn't need to for awhile. _

Rachel sighed. _**You know she says things like that, but it's rare when she actually means them. I don't care how much she whines and attempts to refuse to do so, but you need to have a discussion with her about it. **_

Brittany chewed on her bottom lip._ Ok. _

_**You know how stubborn she is Brittany, but for some reason you're always the one to get her to talk. This time shouldn't be any different. **_

_You're right. Thanks, Rachel. _

_**You are very welcome. Now if you don't mind, I really need to catch up on my beauty rest. **_

_Right... _Brittany frowned._ I'll talk to you later._

_**Bye Brittany. **_

Brittany hung up and tossed the phone on the coffee table with a small sigh. She then grabbed the throw blanket that was sitting on the edge of the couch and wrapped it around herself, before grabbing the TV remote and turning on the television, settling on a melodramatic Lifetime movie to watch until she fell back asleep.

_..._

The next afternoon

Santana was sitting criss-crossed on the floor in the guest bedroom, reading Dr. Seuss's _The Cat in The Hat_ animatedly to Anthony and Amiyah, who were sitting across from her.

"We looked!

Then we saw him step on the mat!

We looked!

And we saw him!

The Cat in the Hat!

And he said to us,

'Why do you sit there like that?'"

"Cats don't wear hats." Amiyah giggled.

"You're right." Santana scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "It's a silly book, isn't it? But it was one of my favorites as a kid."

"I think cats can do whatever they want." Anthony countered with a shrug. "If they wanna wear hats then they should be able to, right?" He looked to Santana, who smiled and nodded.

"Sorry to interrupt." Brittany smiled from her position against the doorframe, before walking further into the room. "Rachel called and needs you down at the bakery. Apparently one of the employees she hired is sick and can't come in, and it's busy."

"Ok." Santana nodded and set the book on the chaise. "Did you have any plans for today?"

Brittany nodded. "I need to take them down to the station, Beiste said she found more information on their case and is working to find a good foster home for them." She said quietly.

Santana's face fell. "I think I forgot that they aren't staying forever." She smiled weakly and pulled herself to her feet. "I'm going to go change, I'll call you when I'm leaving Pezberry's."

"Ok, do you need me to take you?" Brittany asked while smiling down at Anthony and Amiyah, who were flipping through the Dr. Seuss book. "I can drop you off on my way to the station."

"That would be great, actually. Thanks baby." Santana smiled and pressed her lips to Brittany's before leaving the guest bedroom.

"Where's Santana going?" Amiyah frowned.

"She has to go to work, sweetheart. You two are coming with me." Brittany told them while stretching out each of her hands for them to take. "We have to stop by the police station and talk to Ms. Shannon, you remember her?"

"The nice lady with curly hair?" Anthony asked and held onto Brittany's hand tightly as she led them out of the room.

Brittany nodded. "That's her."

"Brittany, can you put my hair in a ponytail please?" Amiyah asked sweetly while holding onto a strand of her curls. "It gets really hot when I leave it down."

"Of course." Brittany smiled and sat on the love seat in the living room, before gently pulling the little blonde to stand in between her legs. She grabbed a hair tie off of her right wrist and carefully smoothed Amiyah's hair back into a messy ponytail. "There, you're all set."

"Thank you." Amiyah smiled, and giggled when Brittany kissed her cheek before standing back up.

"You're welcome." Brittany winked. "Santana, are you almost ready?" She then yelled across the apartment.

"Yeah, I am." Santana appeared as she walked through the living room in a sheer white top, skinny jeans, and red heels.

Brittany wiggled her brows at the Latina's appearance, eliciting a hearty laugh from her girlfriend. "Alright team, let's go." She stated and headed for the foyer.

"Wait!" Santana set her purse down on the couch and jogged to the kitchen. She came back a few moments later with two ziploc bags full of goldfish crackers and two juice boxes. "In case they get hungry while they're at the station, I didn't know how long you planned to be there."

"Thanks Santana." Anthony smiled brightly as he accepted the treats from the brunette.

"You're welcome, honey." Santana winked. While the two children skipped ahead towards the door, Brittany gently held Santana back and pulled her to the side. Santana immediately frowned and opened her mouth to question the blonde, but Brittany beat her to it.

"We need to talk later." Brittany said softly but firmly. "I'm not forcing you to deal with this now because we both have places to be, but the conversation _will_ happen tonight. I love you too much to allow you to keep avoiding the situation."

Santana stared at the blonde silently, before moving her head just barely in a nodding motion. "Ok." She sighed.

Brittany smiled and leaned forward to press their lips together briefly. "Let's go." She whispered once the kiss broke, and intertwined her fingers with Santana's before leaving their apartment.

...

Santana strolled into Pezberry's bakery and slid her sunglasses to the top of her head as she glanced around to determine how busy it was. After greeting a few customers and taking a couple of pictures, she migrated towards the back where she assumed Rachel would be.

"It's not even extremely busy Berry, what the hell?" Santana frowned at Rachel, who was pulling a fresh batch of cream puffs out of the oven.

"It's busy for me when there are only two people working." Rachel rolled her eyes and motioned towards a taller girl on the opposite side of the kitchen, who was focused on filling out orders.

"Is no one watching the register right now?" Santana snapped and quickly moved through the swinging door, sighing in relief when she saw the lanky boy she had hired last week. "You need to get your damn math right, there are _three_ people working."

"It's still three over our usual eight. That is the problem here." Rachel countered in annoyance. "I really don't have the time to be focused on baking today, I have been trying to get the paperwork situated for the new apartment Finn and I are planning on moving into."

"You're moving?" Santana asked quickly. "What the hell, why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not a big move." Rachel shrugged. "It's closer to you and Brittany, actually. Floor 7 of your building to be exact." She smiled brightly.

Santana laughed. "Seriously? You're moving into our building?"

"I mean, can you imagine how fun this will be?" Rachel nodded enthusiastically. "Finn and I can come up to your apartment twice a week for dinner, and you and Brittany can visit ours for a meal or two every so often. Oh! I will have to start planning a house warming party."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Fantastic."

"So, is there a reason you've been so MIA lately?" Rachel then questioned, taking the Latina off guard. "I haven't seen or heard from you or Brittany in days, besides the brief phone conversation I had with Brittany this morning, but besides that _nothing_."

"Oh, ummm, we've just been busy." Santana shrugged.

"With what?" Rachel frowned. "Are you pregnant?" She whispered loudly.

"No!" Santana yelled as her eyes widened. "No, Rachel, are you fuckin insane? Brittany and I aren't even married yet." She hissed and glanced across the room at Marley to make sure she wasn't listening.

Rachel shrugged. "It would be a valid reason to ignore your best friend." She stated nonchalantly.

"I haven't been _ignoring_ you Rachel, jesus, I've just been busy ok? Let's drop it." Santana said while moving around the smaller brunette to grab the raspberry filling for the cream puffs.

Rachel sighed. "Very well. Will you help me whip up a fresh set of lemon bars after you finish with those?"

"Yes, go ahead and pull out the ingredients for them."

"Ok." Rachel gathered the ingredients out of the pantry and refrigerator, before laying them out in a sequenced order on the counter. She then began to proceed with the first few steps when Santana smacked her shoulder. "Ow! What?"

Santana pointed to the oven with a scowl. "Whatever the hell you have in there is burning."

Rachel quickly turned around and gasped, before throwing on her oven mitts. "Shit!"

"Do you need help?" Santana asked while grabbing her own oven mitts, and wobbling slightly when Rachel practically tossed the pan full of burnt cookies in her hands. "A warning would be nice next time." She snapped.

"I can't believe this!" Rachel threw her hands up in the air and shook her head. "Santana, please do me a favor and make another batch of cookie dough. I've never been skilled in that area and I'll take over the lemon bars while you do so."

Santana sighed and dumped the burnt cookies in the trash, before setting the pan aside for Marley to wash later. She then grabbed eggs, flour, chocolate chips and vegetable oil and took them over to her usual side of the kitchen. "Haven't even been here twenty minutes and I'm already to get the hell home." She mumbled to herself, before focusing on the task at hand.

...

**5pm**

Brittany and Shannon Beiste had been sorting through papers, files, and folders for over two hours in Beiste's office, while Anthony and Amiyah hung out with Mercedes. The blonde was slowly beginning to lose her patience when she continued to come up empty handed while searching for any type of evidence that could be useful to them.

"I don't understand, what do you mean you don't have proof?" Brittany sighed in frustration as she shuffled through the large stack of paperwork blanketing Beiste's desk.

"It's inevitable." Beiste shook her head and read through the files for a final time. "I don't know how, we had the charges but the evidence is nowhere to be found. It's almost as if everything has been erased."

"How is that even fuckin possible?" Brittany snapped and angrily slammed the manila folder on the table.

"I have no idea, Pierce. And I wish to God that I did."

"They can't just release him, he has way too much against him." Brittany countered with furrowed brows. "Assaults, murders, robberies, there is no way in _hell_ that there isn't evidence of those somewhere."

"I've been searching through every file or reports that should have been made over these past few years." Beiste shook her head and emptied out another folder onto the small coffee table in the center of the room. "I even had Mercedes search every database she could get herself into, trying to find _something_."

"But?"

"But there was nothing." Beiste rubbed her temples harshly.

"This isn't happening," Brittany murmured while attempting to keep her temper under control. "This makes absolutely no sense at all. Do you have an explanation for this?"

"We have the child pornography, but Harris claimed it wasn't his and he never laid his hands on it. Evans took fingerprints and scanned the pictures, magazines, etc. and none were a match."

"But the child pornography was _in his possession_. How is that not enough evidence to put him away?" Brittany snapped.

"Harris's lawyer found a loophole." Beiste explained. "He found _many_ loopholes within these charges; loopholes that we weren't prepared for."

Brittany squeezed her eyes shut tightly and tapped her fingers against the desk in an attempt to calm herself down. "So what are you saying?" She asked slowly, although she already knew the answer.

Beiste sighed and sat down on the small bench in the corner of her office, checking the time on her watch before staring at the floor. "I'm saying that unless we're able to muster up the evidence we need to pin these charges against him soon- Harris may be getting those kids back."


End file.
